Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठ उवाच । पादप्रक्षालनाद्यं तु कुरुष्व वचनान्मम । विश्वामित्रस्य राजर्षेर्यावद्भोजनसंस्थितिम्

Transliteration

vasiṣṭha uvāca | pādaprakṣālanādyaṃ tu kuruṣva vacanānmama | viśvāmitrasya rājarṣeryāvadbhojanasaṃsthitim

Translation

Vasiṣṭha dit : Sur ma parole, accomplis les rites commençant par le lavage des pieds, et sers le rājaṛṣi Viśvāmitra jusqu’à l’achèvement de son repas.

Word by Word

• vasiṣṭhaḥ: Vasiṣṭha
• vasiṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasiṣṭha (वसिष्ठ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pāda-prakṣālana-ādyam: foot-washing and the like (services)
• pāda-prakṣālana-ādyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (पाद) + prakṣālana (प्रक्षालन) + ādi (आदि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (pādānāṃ prakṣālanaṃ; ādi-शब्देन ‘etc.’)

• tu: indeed, however
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/विशेषबोधक (but/indeed)

• kuruṣva: do, perform
• kuruṣva: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• vacanāt: from/according to the word (command)
• vacanāt: Hetu (Cause/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (वचन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (on account of)

• mama: of me, my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• viśvāmitrasya: of Viśvāmitra
• viśvāmitrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (विश्वामित्र प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• rājarṣeḥ: of the royal sage
• rājarṣeḥ: Sambandha (Genitive apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (राजन्) + ṛṣi (ऋषि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (राजा चासौ ऋषिः)

• yāvat: until, as long as
• yāvat: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal limit marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (यावत् अव्यय/संबन्धबोधक)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/अवधिबोधक (until/as long as)

• bhojana-saṃsthitim: the completion of the meal
• bhojana-saṃsthitim: Karma (Object/extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhojana (भोजन) + saṃsthiti (संस्थिति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (bhojanasya saṃsthitiḥ = completion/settling of meal)

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandinī (or attendants under her miraculous provision) prepares hospitality: water vessel for foot-washing, a clean seat, abundant food; Viśvāmitra seated as honored guest; Vasiṣṭha overseeing with calm authority.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Viśvāmitra
• Nandinī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring a guest is sacred; service begins with humility (washing feet) and continues until the guest is fully cared for.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse teaches atithi-dharma within a Tīrthamāhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pādaprakṣālana (washing the guest’s feet) and sustained bhojana-sevā until the meal is completed.